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+--- Thread: A Meeting (/showthread.php?tid=20409)
A Meeting - swift - 05-12-2009
A somewhat rusty ship was speeding along the depth of space in the Omicron Theta system, piercing through it's nebulae towards the Omicron Gamma jumphole.
The jump sequence began, the clock counting down to the moment of the ship's dock with the jumphole.
The count ended, and the ship jumped. The bulkheads squealed as it was being thrown around the cosmos, pulled by the jumphole through space-time.
The jump was complete, the ship was now in the Omicron Gamma system.
The navigator turned towards the ship's captain and reported three ships on the scanner, two of them Corsair gunboats, and one a large battleship, the flagship of the Benitez, actually.
The ship's comm officer contacted the battleship:
"This is the Colonial courier cruiser Rising Star to the Benitez flagship, we have the Colonial Republic's diplomat on board. Requesting docking clearance with the flagship, over."
He got the clearance and notified the captain, and the mooring sequence began.
The ship slowly came about and came closer to the flagship, setting up a parallel positioning, and the docking clamps crawled through space towards the dock points of the Benitez flagship.
With a creaking sound of metal hitting metal, the two ships merged.
A grey-haired man was walking down the corridor of the Rising Star, accompanied by two rather large bodyguards.
Footsteps echoed through the empty corridors leading towards the docking hangar, the man's face expressionless.
After five minutes of silent walking, they got to the docking tubes and started walking through them, into the Benitez' flagship.
They finally got to the end of the tube, and emerged on the other side.
They were greeted by Don Carlos Benitez, some key personell, and a few bodyguards surrounding him.
The man looked around, took a breath, and stepped onto the metal floor of the ship.
He nodded towards the bodyguards, telling them to stand back and not be worried.
He stepped to Don Carlos, and offered his hand.
The two men shaked hands, and started talking.
[color=#FFFFFF]"Greetings, Don Carlos of the Benitez. Let me introduce myself. I am Jonathan Lampkin, Colonial diplomat and emissary. As you know, because you've been contacted already about my purpose here, we are here to propose a little deal, to further the good relations between us."
The Don smiled and nodded, saying: "Yes, I indeed have been notified about it. Let's go to the briefing room, get ourselves a bit more comfortable, and begin our negotiations."
"By all means, Don Carlos, lead the way."
The man ordered the bodyguards to stay there, not wanting to insult the Don with unreasonable fear, after all, their two factions were in very good relations.
He followed the Don into the briefing room.
The two men sat down, and Don Carlos nodded towards his guards to leave them alone.
"So, let us begin, shall we?" - said the Don.
"Yes, let's. I shall waste little time on unnecessary words, we have prepared a formal proposal to you for your discretion. Feel free to comment, discuss, and we can make possible adjustments."
Lampkin handed a large scroll to the Don, and awaited for him to read and respond.
The Don unfolded the scroll, and began reading:
Quote:[font=Garamond]Respected Don Carlos of the Benitez. We have drafted a short proposal over the matter of a pilot exchange that was mentioned to you in our latest supply convoy into your system.
Our two nations have always been in great relations, helping each other along every step of the way, and granting assistance whenever needed.
You have supplied us with more than we could ever have asked, and we have returned the favor many times.
Our two peoples are sympathetic to each other's causes, and that might be the reason why we've always been friendly and allies.
We have decided to propose to you an exchange of half a fighter squadron from both our professional armies.
The proposal is simple in it's form.
Number One:
The Colonial Republic shall post three or more of their best qualified pilots into one of the Benitez systems.
Number Two:
The Benitez shall also post a select number of their highly qualified pilots into Tau-44's battle station Sulawesi.
As you may already have guessed, this could have many benefits to our two nations, some of which are:
- Better familiarization of our two nations' cultures, customs, traditions, values, to further our good relations, and to make our two peoples understand each other more.
- Additional strength of our defenses, as the pilots exchanged can always be called upon by their home-givers for assistance at any point in time.
- The improvement of the experience of all our pilots, the exchange of tactics and skills, etc.
And many more.
The proposal is, of course, open for discussion and change, and Mr. Lampkin is to be treated as my own Voice here.
You can propose what you wish to him, and he has the authority to make changes to the exchange how you two see fit.
I hope we can come to an understanding, as the possible uses are a myriad, and the downsides are non-existant, to my knowledge.
With utmost respect,
[font=Garamond]President Alexander Wingates
[font=Garamond]Lampkin leaned forward, awaiting to hear what the Don would say.
A Meeting - Carlos_Benitez - 05-13-2009
Carlos drummed his fingers on the table, and listened to the gentle hum of the Talos' main reactor. The document he had been presented with had merit, but Carlos also sensed it could lead to difficulties in Gamma.
"This has my approval...in principle. However, it will need to be discussed further with my advisers. In the meantime, we should discuss the political ramifications of this..."
Carlos glanced out of the starboard window, at the orb of Planet Crete, his eyes almost mournful.
"The relationship between my people, and the Colonial Remnant was formed during days of political unity for the Corsairs. Today, however, our Council of Elders is disbanded, and whilst we attempt to maintain honour and justice for our people, lawless and disrespectful self-serving pirates continue to cause havoc across our space.
The remnants of the once great Triumvirate struggle to make an appearance, whilst enemies continue to hammer at our battlements. Once great commanders have become insular,-at least one has become a monster.
With the days of unity and co-operation gone, now progress can only be made through unilateral action, a policy bound to ignite tension."
The Colonial representative looked at Carlos disappointedly, sure that he would now reject the proposal.
"We must therefore be very clear to everyone involved, and everyone who inquires about the arrangement, that this is between the Benitez and the Colonial Remnant, not between yourselves and the Corsair Empire at large."
The diplomat nodded.
"Secondly, if we are to properly accomodate eachother's pilots, and put them to the best possible use, we must be very aware of the talents and specialities of each of the pilots we exchange.
For example, we Benitez are a relatively small group of highly trained agents whos expertise lies in special operations, espionage, escorting smugglers and robbing shipments. Although our pilots would not object to killing afew Outcasts or Bretonians, you should be aware that sending them to capture territory might not be the best use of their skills. My men work best with clear objectives in mind.
I am sure the Remnant have their own specialities that can and should also be put to good use. "
A Meeting - swift - 05-13-2009
[font=Garamond]The diplomat looked at the Don with understanding, he knew how he felt.
He leaned back and said:
"Well, we surely do understand your need for the deliberation of the agreement with your advisors, take all the time you'll need.
As for the agreement being solely with the Benitez, we do understand and agree. We understand that the decisions you make are the decisions of the Benitez family.
In that light, if you would not think that stationing in Crete's docks would be wise, I propose that our exchange pilots be stationed within Omicron-94, on one of the Benitez stations there, that is purely your choice, of course."
Lampkin poured some water from the crystal pitcher that laid on the glass table into his glass, put it down, leaned back, and took a sip of water.
He then continued:
[color=#FFFFFF]
"As for your second point, yes, I fully agree.
We must decide on the assignments of the pilots while basing on their primary abilities and the interests of their temporary homes.
Rest assured, we do not intend to send your pilots into menial territorial battles with the Outcasts, that's the job of our many regular pilots.
There's a lot of potential for them there.
Firstly, they could be given free charter to act towards vessels who smuggle Cardamine and Slaves however they may wish.
Of course, lawful trade throughout the Taus would have to be kept intact at all times, as it bolsters our economy and is one of the key factors in keeping a stable war against the Outcast forces.
Secondly, they could act in coordination with our intelligence forces who operate both in the Taus, Omicrons, and Bretonia.
We have a lot of espionage interests throughout many areas, and we're sure that your pilots have some expertise that ours don't, and vice versa.
As you can see from my statement, the skills of your pilots align perfectly with our intended use for them."
Lampkin put his hands together and stretched his fingers a bit, and then continued..
"As for the skills of our pilots, they are very diverse. We cover many grounds actually, and the pilots in the exchange would be chosen on principle of your intentions of how to utilize them.
We can offer high quality combat experts, with years of training and live combat experience, who would aid you in the defense of your area when called upon, and any missions in the Omicrons you might have for them.
We also have many highly qualified experts in the field of espionage and military intelligence, who could go places where your own might not be able to, and would surely be able to perform missions otherwise inaccessible to yourselves.
The list goes on really.
If you would state what you would like to use them for, we'll respond appropriately."
A Meeting - Carlos_Benitez - 05-14-2009
The meeting ended with Carlos escorting his Colonial friend to luxury quarters near the observation deck.
Once he was sure the diplomat was comfortable, Carlos made for the hangar bay. He waved his hand and the engineers busy polishing his Titan stepped away from the ship, and stood to attention.
"At ease, gentlemen" he muttered as he boarded his fighter.
"This is Commandante Don Carlos Benitez on the Corsair fighter Helius, awaiting clearance for departure."
The hangar bay doors opened, and Carlos engaged manoeuvring thrusters. Sparks flew as his ship passed through the shield that covered the entrance to the hanger, isolating the artificial atmosphere from the vaccum beyond.
Carlos pushed a button on his comm console, and spoke aloud. "A meeting of the Benitez Council is called."
He manoeuvred his vessel toward Crete's docking ring. A number of trader vessels were approaching the entry aperture.
He tapped a code into his comm console, and the docking ring locked open, allowing him to slide in, ahead of the other ships.
The Helius entered Crete's atmosphere and set a new course. The bustling capital of Heraklion disappeared behind the horizon as the Titan headed for a steep cliff face overlooking the Dikti ash plains. Clinging to the cliff face lay Myrtos Villa, Benitez headquarters and home of his extended familia.
![[Image: Myrtos.jpg]](http://discoveryfl.com/wiki/images/d/da/Myrtos.jpg)
Carlos set the ship down on his private landing pad, and headed immediately for the lift. He tapped the button for the bottom floor 4 times, and began to descend.
The lift flew past the workshops, down beyond his offices, through the residential floors and then beyond the vaults. The elevator stopped, then began to descend once more. It went deeper and deeper, beneath the ash fields, thousands of feet underground. Finally, it stopped, and Carlos stepped out into pitch blackness.
The cavern was warm; geothermal energy from underground lava flows leaked through the rock bringing heat into the room. The air was stale.
Carlos fumbled along the rough stone wall till his fingers found a flat pedestal. He unclipped a medallion from his lapel, and dropped it on the platform.
Suddenly, the room glowed red as wall-mounted torches ignited all around. The wall ahead shimmered, and then disappeared as the hologram dissipated revealing the Benitez council chamber. The other Elders had already arrived.
When Carlos returned to the Battleship Talos the next day, and after visiting the bridge, he went to greet the Colonial diplomat. They returned to the meeting room.
"The familia approve of the exchange" he assured. "They are keen to begin immediately, though concerns have been raised."
"What concerns?" asked the diplomat.
"There have been numerous volunteers, but the familia wish to be given a specific timeline for when the pilots will return home"
A Meeting - swift - 05-14-2009
[font=Garamond]The diplomat closed his eyes, thinking for a bit, and then answered:
First and foremost, let me express my happiness that an agreement has been achieved.
As for the numerous volunteers are concerned, that can be sorted out.
There are two possibilities, we can either determine a number of the volunteers who will be the only ones to participate, or they can be on a rotational basis, a single group participating for an X number of days, and then being switched with another.
That is up to each side to decide for themselves, whatever you determine is best, we'll agree with.
As for the timeline , we'd prefer it to be semi-undetermined as of yet, with say an initial duration of one month, and possibly prolonged, depending on what kind of benefits our two sides reap.
We can also set it for an undetermined period of time, which could be ended at any given time with a week's notice, if that's what you'd prefer.
And there can be, finally, a fixed amount of time after a group would return.
We are comfortable with each of these options, and accented on the first. We shall accept either of these three, however.
Lampkin leaned back again, stretching his fingers, glanced at the Don, and then asked:
[color=#FFFFFF]So how do you feel about what's on the table?
A Meeting - Carlos_Benitez - 05-14-2009
"I agree with my advisors. The idea shows allot of promise.
I assume we are still planning on an exchange of 3 pilots. However, I have a proposal to put to you."
The Colonial diplomat looked intreaged.
"Our familia recently "aquired" some rather advanced computer technology. It doesn't matter how or from where..."
"What kind of "technology?" asked the diplomat
"We acquired an unmanned "drone" vessel and elements of the computer terminal used to control it."
The Colonial representative was taken aback.
"Our technicians have, over the past year or so, managed to replicate the technology and fit it to afew of our fighter class vessels, including the Artemis. The damned thing takes up most of the space in the ship, and the command terminal is the size of a room, so we could only build one of them. As of last month, pilots have been able to fly the Gladiator class "Remoto1" (formerly known as the Artemis HF) from the comfort of a command chair in a facility at Myrtos Villa on Crete. "
"You mean...any pilot is able to walk in and fly the ship remotely?"
"Precisely. We have one command chair, and a couple of drone ships in reserve. Obviously, it's a great asset for the familia, and the empire...but we are willing to donate the Remoto1 to the Colonial cause in place of one of our pilots if you so wish."
A Meeting - swift - 05-14-2009
[font=Garamond]The diplomat's face frowns a bit, and he says:
"Well all that's fine and well, Don Carlos, but as you might be aware, we have certain.. reservations with advanced remote computer technology.
Surely you understand that remote control of ships is susceptible to hacker manipulation.
We'd not want to have our defense fail in a key moment.
I'm trying not to sound like one of those anti-tech wackos that roam the corridors of Minato talking about our ancient history, but objectively, it's prone to abuse.
It's an interesting sounding piece of technology though, would be highly useful.
We'll see what the leadership says about it, if the uses outweigh the risks, and we'll get back to you over long distance comms, after I return to Sulawesi.
Lampkin leans forward to take a drink of water, and then continues his tyrade:
[color=#FFFFFF]As for the 3 pilots deal, yes, for a start, for the shall we say, testing of the process, the number three is optimal.
We shall deliver a list to you after I get back to Tau 44, and after we run a screening process for our volunteers.
We will also give you ample time to draft a list of your own people you wish to send.
We're all aware that it's important to pick the right people, so we won't rush it.
You just find ample candidates for the exchange, and we'll see later if it'll be two or three human ones.
Anything's possible, although I'm somewhat prone to predict what the Quorum's decision will be.
Nevertheless, I shall relay your full message.
I think we've covered most of the ground that was supposed to be, am I right?
The diplomat smiles slightly, and then asks:
Now, is the preliminary discussion and my business here over?
I'm not really keen on leaving the comforts of your ship, it's very interesting to be around here.
But the politicians in their cushy chairs are eager to see me return and relay what's been talked about here.